Through one of his spokeswomen, Mayor Joseph Solomon confirmed Wednesday that Acting Fire Chief Marcel Fontenault has submitted his letter of retirement.
No additional information, such as when Fontenault submitted the letter, when he would leave or who would now head the department, was made available. Calls to Fontenault were not returned.
Fontenault stepped into the post during a period of change in administrations. Hardly a month earlier, then-Mayor Scott Avedisian announced he would resign after serving 18 years to head the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority. This put City Council President Joseph Solomon in the role of acting mayor. Within days of Avedisian’s announcement, Fire Chief James McLaughlin said he would retire in May as well. When McLaughlin accelerated that action, Fontenault took on the job of presenting the department budget to the City Council.